1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular closure system having a pinion driven by a motor accommodated in a closure housing and having a slider provided with toothing by which the pinion is displaced in the longitudinal direction of the slider.
2. Background Art
Such a closure system has a gear system which includes guide rod mechanisms for locking the gear system. Transmission to the actual locking element occurs via members such as pipes, rods, Bowden cables, and pressure-resistant drive cables. The latter are frequently found in sliding roof actuators and convert a rotational motion to a translation motion via a drive pinion.
DE 38 09 949 A1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,005) describes a drive mechanism for a movable element on a vehicle body. The drive mechanism includes a pressure-resistant, axially movably drive cable which is displaced in an axial direction by a drive pinion. The rotational motion of the pinion is converted to an axial direction of motion by toothing on a spiral surrounding the cable. The cable is led through tubular guides. In the region of the pinion, a support element supports the motion to be transmitted from the pinion to the cable. The support element is U-shaped with a particular approach angle. Surfaces in the region of the legs of the support element are to achieve reliable, quiet operation. The entire unit is also accommodated in a separate housing.
DE 38 32 681 C1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,850) describes a closure unit for actuating a sliding or tilting roof. A drive pinion actuates the roof using a pressure-resistant drive cable led through guide tubes. For this purpose, the cable together with its guide tubes and the pinion are extrusion coated and enclosed by a plastic housing. This extrusion-coated element is also designed as a receptacle for the pinion. Here as well, a translation motion is generated from a rotational motion. The pinion meshes with the spiral of the cable, the cable has to be supported by the guide tubes in the engagement region, and the housing forms the extrusion-coated element.